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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24931813">From 10 - 0 in ten minutes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/fancyowl/pseuds/fancyowl'>fancyowl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Multi</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:28:10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,792</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24931813</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/fancyowl/pseuds/fancyowl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>It was the best moment of her life but 10 minutes later and that moment of her life would be a distant memory.</p><p>She and Chat Noir had finally defeated Hawkmoth who turned out to not be Gabriel and instead an old man who wanted to be immortal. As a bonuse the also defeated Mayora who was the mans daughter. </p><p>They had been celebrating for 10 minutes when her ear-rings had beeped for the last time so she said goodbye.</p><p>When she was walking home she saw something she would never forget.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Nathaniel Kurtzberg, Ivan Bruel/Mylène Haprèle, Juleka Couffaine/Rose Lavillant</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>42</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>From 10 - 0 in ten minutes</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Sorry if this is a bit short<br/> This is a story I've been thinking of doing for a week now.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So bugaboo we've finally done it. We're finally free."</p><p>"Yep. It feels wonderful." She said happily. She could finally confess to Chat. Tell him that she's been in love with him for a year now but couldn't tell him that because it was their love that caused him to get akumatized. But she would wait till tomorrow to tell him. Instead she had to do something. "Lucky Charm!" Chat looked at her with confusion. That was the third time she'd used it and her ear-rings still weren't beeping. She must have turned 17 recently Chat thought to himself. She gave him a cocky grin when a bottle of Champagne came down.</p><p>"Bugaboo! We can't drink that we're under age!" Finally her ear-rings started beeping marking 5 minutes before she would detransform.</p><p>She threw back her head and laughed. "Oh chaton. It's alcohol free. I maby silly but I'm not stupid." She said still lightly giggling.</p><p>"O-oh. I guess you do think of things before you actually do it." She nodded and pulled out to glasses from her yo-yo and poured the champagne in it and handed a glass to Chat who drank it in one go. She rolled her eyes and poured some more into his glass. "Thank you M'lady. I was wandering since we've defeated Hawkmoth we can now show each other who we are behind the mask?" He asked hopefully.</p><p>"You're gonna have to wait till tomorrow Chaton. I have a surprise that'll nock you off your feet. It'll lead into me showing you who I am behind the mask." She gave a sly smile when she saw that he was practically pouncing up and down.</p><p>"I can't wait that long M'lady. I'll be up all night wandering who you are." Ladybug laughed again and booped him on the nose. She got up than when her ear-rings beeped telling her she only had a minute left.</p><p>"The real celebration starts tomorrow Chaton. Be ready to be surprised. Bug out!" She zipped away from chat before he could say another word. She hid in a secluded area and detransformed giving her kwami a cookie and smiling at her. Tikki just nodded too exusted to say anything and went to her purse and slept. Mari laughed lightly and walked towards the bakery her heart still pounding from excitement but than it did a flip in her stomach as she gazed at the sight in front of her.</p><p>Tears were pooling in her eyes. The excitement a distant memory in the back of her head. A car was flipped over with every window smashed, blood pooling on the ceiling. It wasn't just any car it was her parents. "MAMAN, PAPA!" She screamed as she ran to the car. Her parents were lying on the ceiling, they must've fallen out of their seatbelts when the car tipped upside down. She heard the distant murmurs of people asking what was happening but she wasn't quite listening enough. She didn't even hear the "Princess?" That came from Adrians trembling voice, glad she didn't understand what he had just said but all the more worried. She was completely focused on trying to drag her perants out but they were stuck under all the heavy shopping. She didn't see the smoke that was coming from the engine but she did notice that neither parents were breathing.</p><p>She felt arms envelope her and drag her away from her parents. She punched and screamed at the person who was pulling her away from the only family she had left. Her nona had died when she was 16 and her grandfather a few weeks later from old age. Her parents were all she had left. "Please Mari. You have to come with me." She recognized that kind sweet voice. She looked into emerald green eyes and realized she was staring at Adrian but her thoughts were drawn back to her parents as sirens blared out in the distance. 'Too late' she fought bitterly as the car did the worst thing she thought she'd ever seen. <br/>    <br/>It exploded. "NOOOO!" She screamed as she escaped Adrians arms for a moment and ran to the car. She didn't know what she'd do when she got there but she had to get there. </p><p>She never got there because Adrian grabbed her and pulled her away even though she was kicking and screaming at him. "P-plea-please?" She stammered, not knowing what she was asking for.</p><p>He looked at her with sympathy. He didn't know what she was going through fully but he did know part of what she felt having lost his Mother but at least he still had his father to talk to. "I'm so sorry Mari." Was all he said as he slowly dragged her to his limo. He gently set her down on the left side and put her seatbelt on as he could tell she was too far in thought to know where she was, let alone to put on a seatbelt. Numb. That was what she probably felt. He had felt numb for a few days when he found out about his mother, so Mari would probably feel numb as well. He went round the limo and got in the other side. The gorilla gave Adrian a look and he just looked back before saying quickly, "She needs somewhere to go. She's not fit to be alone for a few days or so." and with that they drove to Adrians home.</p><p>When they got home Marinette was fast asleep. Adrian gentle to not wake her lifted her up bridle style and carried her inside. His father greeted him half wey upstairs with a loving look and said, "Take her to your room. I saw the news, she can stay with us for as long as she needs." </p><p>Adrian looked at his father whith so much love than. He never thought his father could be this caring. Of course his father was great and would give a grand or two to charities so Adrian didn't know why he was surprised. "Thanks father. I'll be down once I get her settled." He went straight upstairs and gently tucked her in his bed.</p><p>"What do you plan on doing kid?" Plagg asked </p><p> </p><p>"What do you mean Plagg?"</p><p>"Well, what do you plan on doing with her? You can't exactly watch over her for the next few days. You still have school."</p><p>"I'll think of something Plagg. Now hide. I told my father I'd be down as soon as I got her settled in." Plagg went and hid under the pillow Mari was currently sleeping on. Adrian gave a small smile at the place Plagg was at and left the room.</p><p>"Hello son. How is she?"</p><p>"I don't know father." Adrian said sadly feeling useless at that moment. "She's asleep at the moment. I think she just needs to be alone for a few hours. I'll stay by her side for as long as she needs though."</p><p>"I'm sorry to hear. She's lucky to have a friend like you. I'm proud of you Adrian." Gabriel said with a wide grin. "I have some food set up on the table for you and your friend Marinette. I'll leave you to it since I need to find some spare things for our guest. You can eat in your room tonight. Something tells me she won't want to leave your room until she's gotten used to not having her perants around."</p><p>"Thank you father." Adrian quickly gave his father a hug and went into the dining room and found a packet of chocolate cookies and two bowls of chicken soup.<br/>He quickly put the food on a tray and made two muggs of hot chocolate and put them on the tray too. He than snuck into his room making sure not to make a sound in case Marinette was still asleep and placed the tray on the coffee table.</p><p>When he looked at his bed he saw Mari was nowhere to be seen. His heart sunk when he fought she had somehow escaped but than he realized the shower was turned on. "Plagg." Adrian whispered and he watched as his kwami yawned and got out from under the pillow. "How was she?"</p><p>"She's not great kid. That's to be expected though. But she didn't even care that she was in your house and not hers. She just got up and walked to the bathroom. She seems do be in a daze kinda." Adrian just nodded sadly and went and turned on the TV. He wasn't exactly watching it, it was just background noise as he waited for Mari to finish up in the shower.</p><p>He heard her turn off the shower and then gently opened the door and took a shuddering breath. He could tell she had been crying from the wey her eyes were red and poofy and her cheeks were red. He could also see that her eyes were still glossy. He didn't know why he did what he did next but he didn't care. He got up from the sofa and ran to Marinette and engulfed her in a hug. It was like hugging a tree at first. She was so stiff and unresponsive but finally he felt her relax and return the hugg for a brief moment before pulling away. "I have to go home Adrian. I need to grab some important things that I can't leave there."</p><p>She sounded like a stranger. Her voice was so divoid of emotion, but so were her eyes. He didn't know if she'd be able to handle seeing her home just yet. "I'll go and grab them for you Mari."</p><p>He watched as her eyes suddenly went wide and than said so suddenly that Adrian stepped backwards. "NO!" Calming down she said "I can get them."</p><p>He wasn't going to let her go on her own so he offered to go with her. She began to disagree but seeing the look in his eyes she just nodded and began to leave his room. "Wait, I need to ask gorilla if he can drive us there."</p><p>"It's okay Adrian. I want to walk. It'll help me feel better feeling a cold breeze on me." Adrian nodded and they both left his house.</p><p>--**--</p><p>Half an hour later and the bakery stood looming over Marinette and Adrian. She took one big gulp of air and entered home. It wasn't home anymore. How could it be when the two people that made it so much brighter had left. Now it was just a gloomy lonely house. She held in her tears as she told Adrian to stay there. He didn't want to but when Marinette said she had to do something on her own he nodded and watched as she walked upstairs. </p><p>"I'm so sorry Mari. You don't deserve what's happening around you. You deserve to be happy. But you'll get through it Mari. I know you will! You're strong Mari!" Tikki said trying to encourage her holder.</p><p>Mari gave a small sad smile that never reached her eyes, at Tikki. "Thank you, my friend." And with that she turned away from her kwami and began looking for the miracle box. Once she found it she placed in a bag big enough to hold it and a few clothes she'd need. She took one last longing look at her room and closed the trap door hopping she'd never have to see it again.</p><p>She and Adrian walked back to his house in a comfortable silance and then walked slowly up to his room and just sat on his sofa looking at the TV, even though it was turned off. She didn't hear Adrian sit beside her or notice that he was turning on the TV, yes she was staring at the TV but she wasn't looking at it, instead all she could see was the pool of blood that had formed on the ceiling of the car. She could see the car explode. It was like a broken DVD. Stopping and going back five minutes.</p><p>She didn't feel Adrian pull her into a hug or feel Tikki pat her leg from her purse. All she could feel was cold, empty darkness.</p><p>She slowly fell asleep in Adrians arms.</p><p>__**__</p><p>When Marinette woke up it was already 3 p.m. "TIKKI SPOTS ON!" She had to get out. Had to let out all her pent up rage out. Had to run and jump. Anything to get away from the sadness.</p><p>The first stop was at the school. She just sat there with tears falling down her eyes as she watched all the happy students exchanging happy looks or secrets. The only person there that didn't seem too happy was Adrian. Ladybug could tell he was upset and she felt that it was probably to do with what he saw yesterday. </p><p>Adrian looked up than and he and her eyes locked on for a few seconds before ladybug quickly ran across the roof and threw her yo-yo at a chimney and swung away. She did this until finally her legs felt like they were going to fall off. She looked at the time and realized it was 5:30. She hopped Adrian hadn't gotten home yet.</p><p>She mustered up the courage to call chat.</p><p>"Ladybug!!!" He sounded agitated when he picked up the phone. </p><p>"Hey kitty. I need you. Please come." She couldn't help the sobb that finally escaped her throat. She heard chat begin to ask what was wrong but she just hung up and sent him her coordinates.</p><p>Five minutes later and ladybug felt her partner sit beside her, she didn't bother looking at him. "Hey Chaton. We won't be celebrating today. I can't find a way to be happy at the moment." She looked at him than and saw the fear on his face. "What's wrong kitty."</p><p>"My friend Marinette. I can't find her anywhere. Please can you help find her?" He looked at the sad smile on her lips as she shook her head. He wanted to shout at her and ask how she could be thoughtless as to not help find a girl as sweet as Mari, but she just put her finger to his lips to stop him from talking.</p><p>"I'll tell you why in a second first listen." She saw the glare in his eyes and just smiled that same sad smile that never reached her eyes. "Yesterday I lost two people close to me Chat. They were in a car crash." She felt the tears slide down her cheeks again but didn't bother to wipe them away. "I'm a hero Chat." She looked at him and saw confusion etched into his face at that statement. "And yet I couldn't save them. How am I a hero if I can't even save two people. Two people Chat. And that's not the worst part. They were all I had left, but they're gon chat. I've never felt so alone. Even though I have a good friend that's letting me stay with him, I just feel so empty inside." Finally the dam broke completely. Hot fat tears trailed down her cheeks faster now and she could feel the snot coming down so she wiped her nose on her sleeve. Pulling herself together she finished in one go. "I can't look after this right now Chat. I need you to keep it safe until I'm ready to take back the responsibility." Again he looked at her with confusion. The look however changed from confusion to sadness as she gave him the miracle box. "Don't worry Chat, I won't forget anything as I'm not giving it to you permanently." She took a deep shuddering breath before continuing. "Chat, I need you to know I've loved you for a year now. I didn't tell you as I was too scared that one of us would get heartbroken and then akumatized." She watched as Chats eyes sparkled brighter then ever but before he could run and hug her she put a hand up to stop him. "I need to tell you who I really am, Chaton. I also need you to know I may be a bit out of it for a few days or so. Is that okay Chaton?" He just nodded.</p><p>Suddenly his eyes went wide "Wait before you tell me who you are can you help me find my friend Marinette? Please." </p><p>"I already know where she is Chaton. She's safe and you'll know how I know that soon enough." With one final shaky breath she said quietly "spots off." </p><p>Standing right in front of Chat Noir was...</p><p>"Marinette." Was all Chat said before running and hugging her.</p>
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